Mechanical movement for converting rotary motion into reciprocating motion having an adjustable nonharmonic stroke and a quick return stroke



E. WILDHABER 2,782, ENT FOR CONVERTING ROTARY MOTION MOTION HAVING AN ADJUSTABLE NON-HARMONIC STROKE AND A QUICK RETURN STROKE Original Filed Feb 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

Feb. 26, 1957 MECHANICAL MOVEM INTO RECIPROCATING ERNEST WILDHABER QJQ TW 0c ON ATTORNEY Original Filed F 2 NVERTING ROTARY MOTIOKI v HAVING AN ADJUSTABLE QUICK RETURN STROKE E. W LDH MECHANICAL MOVEMENT FOR 00 INTO RECIPROCATING MOTION ON-HARMONIC STROKE AND A ab. 6, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ERNEST WILDHABER F@%'. 26, E957 E WILDHABER 2,782,647 MECHANICAL MOVEMENT FOR CONVERTING ROTARY MOTION INTO RECIPROCATING MOTION HAVING AN ADJUSTABLE NON-HARMONIC STROKE AND A QUICK RETURN STROKE Original Filed Feb. 6, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIGS 29 O O O O O 0 2ei K1 0 O O) 0 O 0 I06 O5 :Z'L' |o| m 23 I04 I03 na :09 H07 JNVENTOR. ERNEST WILDHABER Qzm/w. m

ATTORNEY Feb. 26,, 1957 E. WILDHAEER 2,72,?

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT FOR CONVERTING ROTARY MOTION INTO RECIPROCATING MOTION HAVING AN ADJUSTABLE NON-HARMONIC STROKE AND A QUICK RETURN STROKE Original Filed Feb. 6, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 F G. IO

INVENTOR. ERNEST WILDHABER v A Tram/av 7 21,782,647 Patented Feb. 26, 1957 MEQHANICAL MOVEMENT FOR CONVERTING RBTARY MOTION INTO RECIPROCATING MQTION HAVING AN ADJUSTABLE NON- giggggNIC STROKE AND A QUICK RETURN Ernest Wildhaber, Brighton, N. Y., assignor to The Gleagn kWorks, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New Griginal application February 6, 1951, Serial No. 209,665, now Patent No. 2,747,468, dated May 29, 1951. Di-

vided andthisa lication Janna 30 1953 Se 'alN 334,155 Pp ry n o 3 Claims; (Cl. 7469) The present invention is a division of application Serial No. 209,665, filed February 6, 1951, now Patent No. 2,747,468, and relates to a mechanical movement that is of general application but is especially well adapted as longitudinally curved gear teeth. The harmonic motion of the tool would cause this tooth curvature to be sinuous unless corrective means were provided, which is the case in the patent. Moreover, the return stroke of the tool is at the same velocity as the cutting stroke.

The present invention has among its objectives a mechanical movement for the tool drive which will give the tool a desired non-harmonic motion during its cutting stroke, and which will provide a return stroke that is much faster than the cutting stroke, thereby increasing the cutting eificiency of the machine. The non-harmonic motion imparted to the tool while it is cutting may be of various kinds. stant velocity motion, in which case the longitudinal tooth curvature will be an Archimedean spiral; or it may be motion whose velocity varies with the distance of the tool from the cone apex of the bevel gear being cut, in which case the tooth curvature will be a logarithmic spiral.

To meet these objectives the crank which operates the tool is rotated by a mechanical motion comprising a drive member and a driven member that are mounted on eccentric axes and have a pivotal connection to each other that is movable relative to each of them in a direction having a radial component. Cam means are provided to effect radial motion of this pivotal connection for varying the velocity ratio of the drive and driven members in such a way that with the drive member rotatin at constant velocity the driven member is turned at minimum velocity during the cutting stroke of the tool and at a maximum velocity during part of the return stroke, and that while the tool is cutting it has the selected non-harmonic motion. By this arrangement the tool is actually cutting for a larger part of each rotation of the drive member than it is in the prior art arrangement, and a smaller part of each rotation is devoted to reversing the direction of motion of the tool and its return stroke, so that a shorter time is required to cut a gear.

For example, it may be con- While the mechanical movement is of especial value in certain types of bevel gear cutting machines, its usefulness is not confined to such machines. It will have value as applied to various kinds of machine tools where either a constant velocity or other non-harmonic motion is desired during a portion of one stroke, together with a faster return stroke. The mechanical motion also has utility for driving devices of various other kinds where a similar velocity control is wanted.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear more fully from the following description of the machine shown in the accompanying drawings. In these:

Fig. l is an elevational view of the tool carrying part of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken in the plane indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are sections taken in planes indicated by lines 3-3 and 4-4, respectively of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken in the plane indicated by line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view, similar to Fig. 1, showing a modification;

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the relation between crank motion and tool motion during the cutting operation;

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the path of the pivotal connection between the drive and driven members of the mechanical motion;

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the change in the path of the tool effected by adjustment of the throw of the crank which reciprocates the tool; and,

Fig. 10 is a diagram similar to Fig. 7 showing the effect of angular adjustment of the crank upon the motion of the tool.

In Figs. 1 and 2 there is shown a portion of a bevel gear cutting machine of the general type shown in aforementioned Patent No. 1,616,439, comprising a housing 20 in which a cradle 21 is journaled for oscillation about an axis 22. Carried by the cradle is an arm 23 having ways 24 along which a tool slide 25 is reciprocable. The arm is adjustable to various positions upon the cradle about an axis designated 26. To provide for this adjustment the cradle has concentric about axis 26 arcuate T-slots 27 and 28 which receive bolts 29 that secure the arm. When these bolts are loosened the position of the arm may be adjusted about axis 26 by turning a pinion (not shown) that is journaled in a bracket 31 on the arm and meshes with a gear segment 32 on the cradle.

The tool slide is reciprocated by a crank 33 turning on axis 34, the pin 35 of the crank being connected to the slide by a pitman 36. The pitman is adjustable in length by being made of two sections whose contiguous surfaces are serrated and held interlocked by bolts 37. Carried by the slide 25 is a tool head 38 in which a cutting tool T is mounted by means which provide for shifting it, in the general direction of cradle axis 22, to provide tool clearance during the return or idle strokes. The means for eifecting this action of the tool includes a shaft 39 which telescopes within a bracket depending from the head 38 and is oscillated in time with tool reciprocation by means within a bracket 41 on arm 23. The specific operating connection between shaft 39 and tool T forms no part of the present invention and hence has not been illustrated. However, the means within bracket 41 for oscillating the shaft 39 will be described hereinafter.

The tool crank 33 is driven by a suitable motor (not shown) through a gear train including a bevel pinion 48 and a bevel ring gear 49, the latter being mounted on the drive member 96 of the mechanical movement now to be described in detail with reference to Figs. 1 to 5.

The drive member 96 has a journal 97 mounted in a bearing 98 for rotation about axis 26. On its forward face are spaced flanges 99 and 101; and adjustably secured to flange 101 by adjusting screw 102 is a wedge 103, the channel between the flange 99 and the wedge being a guideway in which a block 104 is slidable radially of member 96. By adjustment of screw 102 the wedge 103 can be shifted relative to flange 101 to adjust the sliding clearance provided for the block. Gibs 105 secured to flange 99 and wedge 103 serve to retain the block in its guideway. A counterweight 110 for the flanges 99 and 101 is formed in diametrically opposed relation to them on the member 96.

The block 104 serves as a bearing member for a crank pin 106 that is carried by a slide 107, and the latter is arranged to move radially with respect to the driven member 108 of the mechanical motion. Member 108 has flanges 109 which together define a radial guideway for the slide. Gibs 111 are secured to the flanges for retaining the block in the guideway, as shown in Fig. 5. Member 108 is mounted for rotation relative to arm 23 about axis 34, and to this end a bearing ring 112 is secured to the arm by screws 113 and a retainer ring 114 is secured to ring 112. Disposed between the latter and the cylindrical peripheral surface of driven member 108 are radial bearing rollers 115. Between the side faces of member 108 adjacent its periphery and the adjacent side faces of rings 112 and 114 are axial thrust bearings 116. i

The slide 107 at its ends carries rollers 117 which are journaled in bearings in the slide body and also in roller plates 118 that are secured to the slide body by screws 119. The rollers are arranged to roll upon a constant diameter cam surface 121 that is formed on the bearing ring 112. The shape of this cam surface will be described hereinafter in connection with Fig. 8.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that the mechanical motion includes the pivotal connection comprising crank pin 106 between the drive member 96 and driven member 108, this pivotal connection being arranged to oscillate relative to one of the members (in this case the member 96) in response to rotation of the members about their respective axes 26 and 34, and also being arranged to be oscillated relative to the other member (in this case member 108) by the stationary cam 121 and the cam follower which comprises rollers 117 on slide 107. As used herein and in the appended claims the term oscillate, and its derivatives, unless otherwise qualified, is used in its generic sense, to include both angular oscillation and rectilinear oscillation or reciprocation. The oscillation resulting from the rotation of the members 96 and 108 about their eccentric axes provides a relatively slow cutting stroke of the tool and a more rapid return stroke. While for this purpose it is necessary only that the path of the oscillation of the pin 106 on member 96 have a radial component, in the construction illustrated this oscillation is a reciprocation in the radial path in which block 104 moves in guideways 99, 103. Similarly while the oscillation of the pin 106 on member 108 provided by the cam 121 and cam follower 117, 107 only needs to be in a path having a radial component in order to provide the desired effect, in the illustrated construction this oscillation is a reciprocation in a radial path by reason of slide 107 operating in guideway 109, 109.

The crank plate 33 is mounted on the driven member 108 for adjustment thereon about the axis 34. The crank pin is adjustable radially of the plate 33, the latter having a slot, radial of axis 34, along which is adjustable a slide 122 that carries the crank pin 35. The slide 122 is secured in adjusted position by a gib 123 that is clamped against it by screws which extend into the crank plate. In the outer face of the crank plate 33 is a cam groove 124 which rides a roller 125 carried by a rack 126 that is mounted to slide in the bracket 41 in a direction radial 4 of axis 34. The teeth of the rack mesh with a pinion 127 that is mounted on the shaft 39 within the bracket.

The cam groove is so formed that the rack reciprocates in the bracket and thereby oscillates the pinion and shaft 39 in time with reciprocation of the tool T. The shape of the groove preferably is such that the tool is withdrawn relative to head 38, from its cutting position, during the terminal portion of the cutting stroke occurring after the tool has left the cut and is coming to a stop, and during the initial portion of the following return stroke. Also the shape of the groove preferably is such that the tool is advanced to cutting position during the terminal portion of the return stroke and the initial portion of the cutting stroke occurring before the tool. has actually entered the cut.

For the purpose of securing the crank plate 33 in various adjusted positions around the driven member 103, the plate is provided with arcuate slots 128 for passing securing bolts 129, and the member 108 is provided with a series of spaced circularly arranged threaded holes (not shown) for receiving these bolts. Small adjustments that are commensurate with the lengths of slots 128 may be made by merely loosening the bolts, while larger adjustments require that the bolts may be moved to different threaded holes in member 108. When the bolts are loosened or removed the adjustment may be made by turning set screws 131 which are screw threaded to a bracket 132 and bear against a lug 133 on the crank plate. Bracket 132 is secured to the member 108 in any of various positions thereabout by screws 134 threaded into openings that are provided around member 108 for this purpose. The effect of adjusting the crank plate on the member 108 will be discussed hereinafter in connection with Figs. 9 and 10.

A modification of the crank arrangement is shown in Fig. 6, in which the crank pin 35 instead of being connected to the tool slide by pitman 36 is connected thereto through a sliding yoke 135. The pin 35 is journaled in a block 136 that is slidable in a transverse guide slot 137 in the yoke, the latter in turn sliding on guide rails 138 that are secured to arm 23 in parallel relation to ways 24. The yoke has a two part, adjustable length, extension 139 which connects it to the tool slide. With this modification the tool T would of course have pure harmonic motion if the crank pin 35 rotated at constant velocity, whereas with the arrangement first described the motion would be affected by the effective foreshortening of pitman 36 in all positions thereof except at the ends of its stroke.

In operation of the machine the drive member 96 is rotated at substantially constant velocity by the motor driven gear train hereinbefore described, and the crank pin 106 (which is guided by the radial slot in which block 101 slides) is therefore carried about axis 26 at a constant angular velocity. At the same time the pin 106 is moved radially of both the drive member 96 and the driven member 108 by action of the cam surface 121 on the rollers 117 of the slide 107 which carries the pin. The cam surface may be so designed that the tool T will move at constant velocity during at least that part of its cutting stroke in which it is actually cutting, and that it will return at a higher, although varying, velocity. The manner in which this may be accomplished with the present invention will be explained in connection with Figs. 7 and 8.

In Fig. 7 the arc AL represents the part of the circular path of the crank pin 35 during which the tool T is cutting, and line A .L the corresponding path of the tool T (it being assumed for purpose of this illustration that the yoke type of crank pin to tool head connection shown in Fig. 6 is employed). As shown equal increments of tool motion A B B C C D etc., subtend unequal arc portions A-B, B--C, O-D, etc. of the arc A-L, the end arcs A--B and K-L being largest and the middle arcs E--F and F-G smallest. In other words to obtain constant tool velocity duringthe cut, the crank pins angular velocity decreases at a varying rate until the tool reaches the center of its stroke, and then increases at an oppositely varying rate. With the arrangement shown in Fig. 6 this cyclical change in angular velocity of the crank pin 35 throughout its rotation remains the same regardless of adjustment of the throw of the crank pin. Thus if the throw of the pin is reduced so that its arc of travel during cutting is as shown by the arc of small radius in Fig. 7, the motion of the tool will be by still equal, although smaller increments A B B C C D etc. for corresponding angular increments of motion of the crank pin represented by the arcs A-B, BC, CD, etc.

Turning now to Fig. 8, there are shown points representing the axes 26 and 34, and point P representing the center of crank pin 106. Line 26-P may be con sidered to represent the drive member 96 which rotates at constant velocity about axis 26, and line 34-P to represent the driven member 108 which rotates at varying velocity about axis 34. While line 314-1 rotates through an angle corresponding to travel of the crank pin 35 through arc AL of Fig. 7, the point P will follow the full line curved path from M to N. The shape of this path may be determined by the intersection of lines 26-P and 34-P, when line 26P is moved by equal angular increments representing the constant angular velocity of the drive member 96 and line 34P is moved by unequal angular increments that correspond to arcs AB, BC, CD, etc. of Fig. 7.

Having thus determined the path of the center P of crank pin 106 about axis 34 that is necessary to achieve constant velocity of the tool T when cutting, the shape of cam 121 can now be determined. On line 34-P points R and S are placed to represent the centers of rollers 117. If, while maintaining constant the distances S P and PR (which in the physical apparatus is the function of slide 107), the line 34P is rotated about axis 34 while point P is maintained on the full line path M-N, the point R will trace the full line path M'- and the point S the dotted line path TU. The path '-RN'T-SU-M is then completed by providing connecting sections U- and NT, these sections preferably being designed with a view to obtaining reasonable accelerations of the driven member 108 as it traverses them. The complete path is, of course, the path followed by the center of rollers 117, but from it the shape of the cam 121 can be readily determined by taking into account the size of the rollers.

When the pitman 36 (Fig. 1) is employed instead of the yoke 135 (Fig. 6), constant cutting velocity of the tool may be obtained by designing the cam by the general method described in the preceding two paragraphs. However, as hereinbefore indicated the increments of angular motion of crank pin 35 that are necessary in order to obtain equal increments of tool motion will be somewhat different than shown in Fig. 7, and this must be taken into account in design of the cam. Moreover a cam so designed will give uniform tool cutting velocity only when the crank throw bears one particular ratio to pitman length. When the stroke of the tool head is changed by adjusting slide 122 in the crank plate, it is also necessary to make a proportionate change in the length of pitman 36 if constant cutting velocity is to be retained. However in many cases it is not necessary that the cutting velocity of the tool be absolutely constant, and for such cases a cam 121 designed for use with the yoke 135 of Fig. 6 may be satisfactory for use in a machine having the pitman 36 of Fig. 1. In either case the cutting velocity of the tool will be near enough to constant that the gear teeth produced will have a single lengthwise curvature and not the double or S- shaped curvature hereinbefore referred to as being objectionable.

In accordance with this invention the cam 121 may also be designed to give any other selected non-harmonic motion of the tool while it is cutting. For instance the cam may be designed to decrease the tool velocity with decreasing distance from the cradle center, to thereby provide a uniform tool clearance angle.

Fig. 9 shows at A -L the curved path that would be traced by a tool T moving at constant velocity while the cradle rolls at constant velocity about its axis 22, it being assumed for this illustration that the arm 23 is so adjusted about axis 26 that the path of the tool T on ways 24 is radial of the cradle axis. As shown the curve A L of Fig. 9 is constructed by spacing points A B C etc. distances from each other measured radially from center 22 that are equal to. the distance these same points are spaced in Fig. 7, and by placing them on successive, equally spaced radii fromcenter 22. The radii are spaced from each other by increments which represent the motion of the work which takes place while the tool is cutting.

The effect of angular adjustment of the crank plate 33 relative to driven member 108 about axis 34 is illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10. In the latter View the arc A-L is adjusted through an angle a. from the position thereof in Fig. 7 with the result that the increments subtended by the arcs B-C, C-D, D-E, etc. on the straight line representing the stroke of the tool are no longer equal, as are increments B -C C D D E etc. in Fig. 7, but are the obviously unequal increments B -C C D D E etc., showing that by adjusting the crank plate on the driven member the cutting velocity of the tool is varied. The efi'ect of this on the path of the cutting tool (and hence on the lengthwise curvature of the gear teeth produced by the machine) is shown in Fig. 9 where the increments B C C -D etc. are plotted on the same equi-spaced radii as were the increments B -C C -D etc. The resulting curve B-" -L will be seen to be clearly of different curvature than the curve B L It will be understood that for the purpose of clear illustration the difference in curves A L and B -L in Fig. 9 is greatly magnified from what would be used in practice to obtain tooth bearing mismatch, for ordinarily such mismatch will not amount to more than a few thousandths of an inch from end to end of the teeth.

It will now be understood how the present invention provides, in the adjustment of the crank plate 33 on the driven member 108, a means whereby the teeth of mating gears may be cut with the desired degree of lengthwise curvature mismatch to produce tooth bearings of the desired length. These mismatched tooth curvatures may be made tangent at any position along the teeth, by a slight change of tooth spiral angle, which may be accomplished either by a slight adjustment of the stroke of the tooth or of the arm 23 on the cradle about axis 26. In either way the tooth bearing may be shifted to whatever position is desired along the length of the teeth.

The provision by the present invention of a fast return stroke for the tool is shown by Fig. 8. Consider the line 26P to represent the drive member 96 (Figs. 2 and 3) which makes one revolution for each complete reciprocation cycle of the tool, and line 34P to represent the crank 33, 35 which turns 180 on each stroke of the tool. It will be seen that to produce such a movement of line 34-P, through 180 angle W34--V (measured clockwise) the line 26P must traverse the obtuse angle W26V of approximately 245 in Fig. 8. To produce the other one-half turn of line 34-P through angle V-34W, the line 26P need traverse only the acute angle V-26-W, of about Thus the return stroke is over twice as fast as the cutting stroke. The relative speeds of the two strokes of course can be varied as desired by changing the proportions of the parts.

The foregoing disclosure is made by way of example to illustrate and explain the inventive principles involved, and not by way of limitation, there being no intention to limit the scope of the invention except as may be required by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A mechanical movement for converting rotary motion into reciprocatory motion of variable stroke, with one stroke being slower than the opposite stroke and the central part of the slower stroke being of non-harmonic character, comprising a support, rotary drive and driven members mounted to turn on the support about axes which are eccentric relative to each other, the driven member being of substantially disc shape, supporting antifriction bearing means engaging the peripheral portion of the driven member, the adjacent end faces of said members each having a radial guideway therein, a slide in each guideway and a pin pivotally connecting said slides for transmitting motion from the drive member to the driven member, a cam stationary on the support and having a continuous internal cam surface, a pair of cam follower rollers mounted on opposite ends of the slide on the driven member and engaging diametrically opposed parts of said cam surface for efiecting reciprocation of the last-mentioned slide as the driven member rotates, a crank pin carried by the driven member and disposed adjacent the face thereof opposite from the face having the radial guideway, and a member mounted for reciprocation on the support and connected to said crank pin for reciprocation thereby.

2. A mechanical movement as characterized by claim 1 in which said crank pin is carried by a plate that is secured to said opposite face of the driven member and is adjustable thereon about the axis of rotation of the driven member.

3. A mechanical movement as characterized by claim 2 in which there is a radial guideway on the outer face of said plate and said crank pin is on a slide which is adjustable radially along said guideway.

Cams (Elementary and Advanced), 1st edition, 1921, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, N. Y. 

